Mika's Do-Over
Brzezinski, Joe Scarborough (right) and MSNBC’s senior political analyst Lawrence O’Donnell (left)
Peter Ross
In her forthcoming motivational book, All Things at Once, Brzezinski writes that there is no magic formula for latter-day success. She believes, however, there are two keys to hers: her willingness to take a huge step back-ward, professionally, and her brutal honesty about her priorities.
“Sometimes things suffer,” admits her husband. “Like when Mika covers an election: the kids suffer or our relationship suffers. But then we come back together and appreciate each other more than ever. And I think Mika is a great role model for the girls. Find something you love. Work really hard. Be the best at it.”
But she doesn’t meld family and work the way she used to. She allows her girls to come to MSNBC’s studio at 30 Rockefeller Center “maybe once in the summer.” If she loses this position, she doesn’t want her kids to get upset again. “All these TV jobs are very bad boyfriends,” she says; the net-work could decide any day that they are not that into her. At the same time, she takes comfort in the fact that some of the most visible high-level anchors are women over 40: Katie Couric, Meredith Vieira, Ann Curry, Barbara Walters, Campbell Brown, Diane Sawyer and, yes, Mika Brzezinski. She knows that no penny can shine forever, but she’s too busy reading her BlackBerry to worry about that now.
AMANDA ROBB won a Planned Parenthood Maggie Award for her 2008 More profile of abstinence activist Leslee Unruh.
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I just don't see the "good role model" in the story. The story I read was one about a woman who admittedly puts her family on the "back burner" to advance her career. I quote, "There were times when her kids were on the back burner." Another quote, "Kids can see that their mother is more than a mom or wife, that she has things that make her happy and bring her joy, and they want her to be able to have those things." I assume the "thing" she is talking about is her job. My favorite quote in the story is this, "If I were trying to do it the way I used to, without enough support (i.e. nannies), I couldn't either. I'd rather spend one good hour with my kids a day than eight bad ones. It's called restraint, transferring power and control, and admitting what I am not good at doing." She's admitting she doesn't think she's good at raising her kids. Thank you, Mika. I have been waiting for working moms to admit that...it's really hard to do both, have a high-powered job and be a mom.
Okay, maybe i went overboard and talking about her being a "super-mom" but i wasnt saying that she was the super-hero in essence, but that she's a super mom in not letting her past judgements bring her down or even make her weaker. She was better for her family to step back and re-organize her priorties and despite CBS canning her, she's found stronger footing @ MSNBC.
Mika's successful career, her many accomplishments, and the journey that she took to reach her current position is an inspiring story and this is what makes her a good role model for all young women and especially for her daughters. Mika is very honest in sharing her story and unfortunately this opens her life up to much judgment. Few people are this honest with themselves, much less with outsiders, As women we need to support each other rather than pass judgment.
I read this story with a much different perspective. Mika is not telling us that she is a great parent. Quite the opposite, she is admitting her failures as a working mom is admitting she can't do it all. I think it's a pretty "ballsy" article and I thank her for her candor. She definitely is not a "mother" role model so I am not sure what Rhonda is saying when she uses that term. She's not a super mom either. She admits in the article that she doesn't do much mothering at all. She did not want to even divulge how much outside help she has with her children. So thank you Mika for being honest with us.
totally agree, Rhonda. Mika's story has that affect on you and she's the kind of person to tell it like it is and not mince words, especially when it came to getting fired from CBS. I enjoy her and although she feels differently about soda consumption in the US (a morning joe topic), i still enjoy her. ann
